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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25130254">Tea Stains &amp; Texting</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvyCpher/pseuds/IvyCpher'>IvyCpher</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), F/M, First Dates, First Kiss, Gay Zuko (Avatar), M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Polyamorous Character, Summer, Swimming, Tea, Texting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:13:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,636</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25130254</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvyCpher/pseuds/IvyCpher</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zuko is stuck with training the new guy, Sokka, at his uncle's tea shop. At first he finds the task annoying, but he soon realizes that he doesn't mind it as much as he thought.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Suki/Yue (Avatar), Sokka/Yue (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>213</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Zuko was busy gathering up used tea glasses and crumb covered plates from a table were customers had just left when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Instinctively he flinched and held the black, plastic tub full of dirty dishes closer to his chest. He spun around on the spot only to see his Uncle Iroh. Relief ran quick through his veins and he sighed, "Oh, hey, Uncle. Is there something you need?" He asked, clearing the rest of the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iroh took his hand off his nephew's shoulder and nodded, "I just wanted to remind you that we have that new boy coming in around noon for his first day today."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko turned that thought over in his mind as he grabbed the last plate from the table and put it in the tub. "And what has that got to do with me?" He asked, holding the tub against his hip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well word has it that there is going to be some rather old and beautiful tea sets at the flea market today." Iroh said, crossing his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko just looked at him, "And…?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well if you'd come to the flea market with me when I invite you, you'd know it starts at noon sharp. And if these sets are as good as I've heard they are, I want first pickings." Iroh smiled, "I wanted to know if you'd be willing to show the new boy the ropes."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Uncle," </span>
  </em>
  <span>Groaned Zuko, "Really? Why do I always get stuck training the new guys? Half of them only work here because they think girls like tea shops but then quit after a week because most of the patrons are grannies your age."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While giving Zuko a pleading look, Iroh took the tub of dishes from him. "Yes, maybe that has happened a few times, but this one seems rather nice. He's very respectful." He paused, "You might even like him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko sighed and ran his hands down his black apron. Even though he would rather do about a million different things than teach some new guy how to make tea the proper way, he knew he was going to agree. "Okay." He said finally, nodding.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko would do just about anything for his uncle, anything within reason that was. Not just because he loved his uncle, which he did, but because his uncle was the only member of his family apart from his late mother who ever loved him. His uncle rescued him from his abusive father and sister when he was only 12 after his father burned his face severely as punishment for misbehaving. Iroh then fought and won custody of him and had treated him like his own son ever since. It was more than Zuko could ever ask for and he would do anything to show his uncle just how much he appreciated what he had done for him, even if it was by training new employees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smiling, Iroh turned around to head to the back of the tea shop, "Thank you, Zuko. Who knows? Maybe you'll make a friend out of him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though Zuko doubted that, he said nothing. He just continued about cleaning the table he was working at. But by the time he had finished cleaning the table and his uncle left for the flea market, however, he did find himself quietly hoping that he might become friends with the new boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was 11:30 when his uncle left, and the tea shop was empty save but for Zuko. But it wasn't uncommon for the shop to be barren that early in the day, most of their regular customers didn't come in until at least past noon. More of them came at 3'clock and stayed for an hour or so. Then the place slowly filtered out by six, an hour before closing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But since there wasn't a customer to be waited on and there was still plenty of time until the new guy was supposed to come, Zuko went to the front of the shop to the little shelf that housed a few books and magazines for the customers. His uncle had told him many times that he kept reading material for the customers so that they would not feel bored while they waited on their tea, and because if they were busy reading they would order more tea. Over the past few weeks there had been a book Zuko had been reading whenever there was time to kill and when it wasn't in the hands of a customer, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Pride and Prejudice. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He grabbed it and sat down at one of the free tables.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Zuko flipped around until he found the page he had left off on and started to read. Zuko loved to read, but for the longest time he hated it. He hated it because when he still lived with his father, he attempted to read every book in his library and found himself disgusted by them. But even so, up until the moment he was taken in by his uncle, he continued to read those books despite his disgust so that he might make his father proud of him for being interested in the same things as him. After he moved in with his uncle, however, Zuko didn't read anything except for the required reading at his school for a long time. He thought that because his father's library was full of ugly and entitled literature, that all other books must have been the same. Had it not been for his Uncle Iroh who gingerly coaxed him to pick up a book again, Zuko probably would have never read any book that he wasn't forced to. That was just another reason out of the many that he felt why he owed so much to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then after a few chapters more of reading his book, the door to the shop opened with the jingling of an overhead bell. Zuko checked what page he was on, then shut his book to look up. A young man about his age was the one to walk into the shop. He had dark skin with bright blue eyes and wore an oversized jean jacket over white tank top. Just by looking at him, Zuko could tell that he was the new guy. No guy who looked like him voluntarily walked into a tea shop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guy looked around and when his eyes fell on Zuko, Zuko stood up. "Um, I'm supposed to start working here today?" He asked more than said while rubbing the back of his neck. "Do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>work here?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko nodded and moved around the table to face the new guy, "Yeah, sorry, but my uncle's going to be out for a while. He wanted me to get you started on things." He extended his hand, "I'm Zuko."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sokka." Sokka shook Zuko's hand and looked around the shop. "If there was a tea house in a ghost town well this would certainly be it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though the joke was dumb, Zuko laughed. "Uh-" He stopped himself and looked up to see Sokka beaming from his reaction. "Well, don't worry. It'll pick up soon, it always does around this time." He turned around and gestured for Sokka to follow him, "Let's get you some stuff from the back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a nod, Sokka followed Zuko to the back of the store where he was given an apron.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko knew he ought to be actually explaining the workings of the store to Sokka, but he was still curious about him. He found himself staring at Sokka as he removed his jean jacket and put on the apron. "So…" He began, looking away so he wouldn't seem weird. "You don't look like the type of guy who'd want to work at a tea shop."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka looked up at him as he was tying his apron behind his back. "Yeah well, my partners come to this place a lot and I thought that since they like tea, that maybe I could learn more about it other than putting a tea bag in water. Plus I'd get to annoy them whenever they came in."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Partners?" Asked Zuko slowly. He looked back at Sokka curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In a swift moment, Sokka looked both nervous and defensive. He tied his apron tightly, "Girlfriends really," He said slowly. "Why? Have a problem with it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko suddenly felt embarrassed for asking, "Uh, no, that's cool, man." He said, trying to think of something to defuse the situation. "I mean, I'm gay so- don't worry about it." He blurted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka's demeanor quickly changed back to it's original self, he exhaled slowly and gave Zuko a small smile. "That's cool, I'm bi."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Cool, cool, cool… uh.." But then, Zuko was luckily saved from the embarrassment of finishing his sentence by the sound of a customer entering the shop. "How about you just shadow me for today? I'll give you a rundown on what you need to do and when you're comfortable, you can work by yourself."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sounds good to me." And Sokka followed Zuko out to the front of the store where Zuko began showing him the ropes of how the shop worked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So for the rest of the day, up until closing, Zuko had Sokka follow him around and showed him the sort of things he would need to know working there. Like how to prepare the scones and how long different types of teas needed to steep to achieve the best flavour. All the things Zuko showed Sokka were things he had learned from his uncle when he started working at the shop three years ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And even though Zuko's uncle had returned from the flea market at 2 in the afternoon, he still left Zuko to continue and train Sokka because he was so disappointed that the good tea sets he had his heart set on were just fakes. Zuko really didn't mind, however, he wouldn't admit it but he actually liked talking to Sokka between customers and pots of tea. He liked hearing the stupid jokes he told and he even liked hearing about his girlfriends, Yue and Suki too. Sokka just seemed to light up when he talked about them or was telling a joke, and Zuko couldn't lie… He found it kind of cute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tea shop was without a customer half an hour before closing, but instead of accepting Iroh's offer to leave early when he gave him his schedule for the next two weeks, Sokka stayed and chatted up Zuko. Finally, at seven o'clock, Sokka looked down at his phone and sighed. "Hey, it was nice working with you today. You're pretty cool." He hesitated before quickly adding, "Maybe we could exchange numbers? For- work related reasons?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko felt his face darken, "I don't- I mean, I don't carry my phone on me so I don't know my number." He looked around and saw that his uncle was nowhere in sight, then grabbed a napkin off of one of the tables nearest to them and removed a red pen from his apron. "You could write your number down for me though."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smiling, Sokka took the napkin and the pen. "And you could text me." He said, pressing the napkin to the door to write his number on it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's usually what people do when they exchange numbers," Muttered Zuko, taking the pen and napkin back from Sokka. He shoved them both into the pocket of his apron.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a roll of his eyes, Sokka grabbed the door. "See ya later, Zuko."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko watched as Sokka left the shop and walked down the street. He waited until Sokka was safely out of sight before reaching into his pocket and removing the napkin with his number. No guy had ever given him their number before. Yeah, he had gotten at least three numbers from girls in middle school before he came out, but they didn't count. And even if Sokka had just given him his number for work reasons, it wouldn't be bad to have a friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Out of nowhere, Zuko's uncle was right beside him. "So, how did today go?" He asked, smiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately, Zuko shoved the napkin back into his apron, his face burning. "Um- it went good." He mumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iroh nodded, "That's great to hear. I hope that means you're not upset with me for having him shadow you today?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko only shook his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smiling softly, Iroh patted his nephew on the elbow. "How about you head upstairs? Get some rest, I'm sure you must be tired."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank, Uncle," Zuko nodded. He glanced upwards at the ceiling, above the shop was the little flat that he and his uncle lived in together. He left the front of the store for the very back where there was a precarious, winding staircase behind a closet door that led to their flat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Zuko went up the stairs, he took the napkin out of his apron pocket and ran his fingers over it. The staircase opened into their small living room and he walked through it to the laundry room where he pulled off his apron and tossed it in the near overflowing hamper. Then Zuko hurried off to his room where as soon as he was inside, he shut the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko took off his shoes and left them by his door. Then he went over to his bed and sat down. On his dresser sat his phone just where he had left it that morning. He picked it up, unlocked it, and pulled up his contact list. The list was pitifully small. The only real numbers on it being his uncle's, his ex-girlfriend's from when he still thought he was straight, and his mother's old number that had been disconnected for years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking back between the napkin and his phone, Zuko added Sokka's number to his contacts. Once it was saved, he fell back on to his bed and crumpled the napkin in his fist. He then rolled over on his stomach, leaned over the side of his bed and shoved the napkin under his mattress for a reason he didn't quite know why. Zuko held his phone close to his face and just looked at Sokka's contact page. He didn't know what to do, or how to text a person, or if there was some weird texting protocol that everyone but him knew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sighing, Zuko clicked off his phone and dropped it beside him. Since he didn't know what to say or what the right thing was to say, he just wouldn't say anything at all. At least not then, he hoped that maybe later he would be able to think of something to say to Sokka, but then his brain was tapped out on ideas.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, Zuko yawned and was overcome with the sleepiness that his uncle had already predicted. And despite it being too sensibly late in the evening for a nap, Zuko didn't find himself caring much. He had nothing better to do than nap anyways, at least as long as he couldn't think of anything to text Sokka he didn't. So without much thought on the matter, Zuko went to sleep.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Zuko was glad that Sokka wasn't set to work the next day. He was glad because he still hadn't figured out just what to text him, and while Zuko knew that he ought to text Sokka before the next day they would be working together, he just couldn't think of what to say. Every potential thing he thought to send sounded cheesy or just so bland that he knew Sokka wouldn't text back. So instead of doing anything about his problem of not knowing what to say, he decided to ignore it until he thought of something, or- worse case scenario, if Sokka brought it up next time they met.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luckily for Zuko, he had a lot to keep his text message problem out of mind. Only an hour after the shop opened, three older women, sisters from out of state came in and required his attention for the better part of two hours. Though they weren't the most annoying customers Zuko had come to serve, they certainly were high maintenance. Each of them requested several types of tea at once then got annoyed when some of their tea got cold before they could even finish their first cup. Not to mention how loudly they all talked about their granddaughters whenever Zuko was refilling their glasses or bringing fresh scones; they would also incessantly shove photos of said granddaughters in his face. Though the thing that was less annoying and more disturbing was how they kept flirting with his uncle, and how his uncle kept encouraging it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Easy to say, Zuko, was happy when they left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They were so annoying," He said quietly, once the door had shut behind the last sister. "I hope they never come back."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iroh, who was still waving to the ladies through the window, gently elbowed Zuko. "Ah, they weren't that bad. Look at the nice tip the left you!" He said, pointing to the folded ten dollar bill on their dirtied table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko reached over and picked the bill up. He unfolded it and recoiled when a piece of paper bearing three numbers and the names of the customers fell out. "No thanks," He said, holding the money out to his uncle. "You pay me enough, Uncle."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iroh stooped down and grabbed up the paper, "You keep it," He said, stowing the paper away in his shirt. "It's nice for a young man to have money to spend." He patted over the spot where he hid the paper. "Plus, this is enough of a tip for me. You would know how nice it is to be given a phone number, wouldn't you, Zuko?" He asked, raising a brow with a knowing smile. "It's better than any tip."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko felt his face heat up, he looked away and ground his hands into fists at his side. He was saved from speaking, however, when the door opened and two new customers stepped in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iroh quickly set about cleaning up the used table from their previous customers, which gave Zuko the job of serving the new ones. He stashed the ten dollar tip in his apron as he approached them, "Hello, ladies." He smiled, hoping that the blush would quickly fade from his face. "How are you today?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While one of the girls was more familiar than the other, Zuko knew that he had undoubtedly served them both before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We're good, thanks." Spoke the more familiar girl with a smile. "How are you?" She had choppy, reddish-brown hair and wore a black </span>
  <em>
    <span>the future is female </span>
  </em>
  <span>shirt with green cargo shorts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm good, thanks." Nodding Zuko, watching as the girls sat down at a small table near the front windows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other girl whom Zuko didn't recognize smiled at him from her seat, "Are you Zuko?" She asked, gently cocking her head to the side. She was tan with a long braid of white hair over each of her shoulders and had on a pale blue sundress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blinking, Zuko looked between the two girls before something clicked in his brain. "Yeah." He said, his smile growing. "Are you two Yue and Suki?" He pointed between the girls, not knowing who was who.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl in blue beamed while the first one crossed her arms with a playful grin, "Let me guess, Sokka talked about us yesterday?" She leaned back in her chair, "I'm Suki."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Only a little." Zuko shrugged, "Really."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yue waved, "I'm Yue." She cast her eyes to Suki then back to Zuko, "Don't worry, he talked to us about you too. He said you were really good at showing him how things worked around here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Really?" Zuko found himself blushing again. He had the urge to ask what else Sokka said about him but didn't ask. "Well… He's not bad to work with, I'm sure by next time you come in he'll be serving you and not me." He hesitated, "I mean, if he's working that day."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suki and Yue shared a quick look that Zuko didn't understand. "Yeah," Suki said, looking back at Zuko with a grin. "I'm sure he will be. We'll have to come in more just to annoy him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Funny-" Said Zuko, "He said he'd do the same to you whenever you came in."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, Yue giggled into her hand. "Oh, I think Sokka underestimates how annoying we can be if we really try. I mean, there are two of us and only one of him."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right then and there, Zuko knew that he liked Yue and Suki. "I won't tell him about your plan to annoy him if I don't get roped into it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No promises," Said Suki.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Zuko excused himself from Suki and Yue's table for them to look over the menu in peace. He told them to call them over when they were ready to order and went to stand with his uncle by the register.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You seem fairly acquainted with those young ladies," Iroh said as Zuko walked over to him. "Are you friends with them at school?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a shake of his head, Zuko removed his phone from his back pocket. Though he normally didn't have it on him while he was working, he thought it smart to have it on him in case he thought of something to send Sokka. "No, they're just Sokka's girlfriends. They're pretty nice though." He put his phone back in his pocket since he still had nothing to say to Sokka.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iroh blinked and not-so-subtly turned his head to look at the girls, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Girlfriends?" </span>
  </em>
  <span>He asked quietly. "What a lucky boy. Usually things don't go well when a man's girlfriends meet up."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uncle, don't stare." Hissed Zuko. "It's rude."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It is," Iroh looked back to Zuko and gave him a glance over. "But if a boy such as Sokka can have two girlfriends by his age, wouldn't you think that you'd have at least </span>
  <em>
    <span>one </span>
  </em>
  <span>of your own boyfriends by now?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sometimes Zuko's Uncle Iroh said things that made him wish that he would just die on the spot. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That </span>
  </em>
  <span>was one of those times. People who thought Zuko didn't have to deal with embarrassing family members because his mom was dead and his father was just as good as dead to him, certainly hadn't spent enough time with his uncle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko quickly looked over his shoulder to Suki and Yue, hoping that they hadn't heard what his uncle had said. Luckily enough, they looked to be oblivious to their whole conversation since they were happily chatting over the menu with one another. Too many times that day Zuko had already found himself blushing, it was embarrassing and uncomfortable and he hated it. If there was a surgery he could undergo to stop blushing, he would sign up for it in a heartbeat. "Uncle Iroh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please-</span>
  </em>
  <span>" Pleaded Zuko, "Can we not talk about this right now? Or ever even?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Fine, fine," Iroh waved away Zuko's question. "I'd just like to see you be happy. I don't want you to work your whole life away in this tea shop and not make time for yourself."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That made Zuko smile with confusion, "I'm only 17. I don't think I'm anywhere close to spending my whole life here." With a sigh, he shook his head. "I'll- I'll find a boyfriend when I find one. But it's not like any guy is jumping at the opportunity to date me." He shrugged, scratching his cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Maybe if you put yourself out there more. You know, Zuko, if Sokka can have two girlfriends, what's to stop him from having a boyfriend too?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko had never wanted to die more in his life. "I-I'm going to go see if they're ready to order." He said quickly, referring to Suki and Yue. Then before his uncle could embarrass him any further, Zuko turned around and went to their table. They were still talking when he approached them but stopped when he got to their table. "You guys ready?" He asked, his mind going through a hundred empty thoughts a second and his heart beating so fast that he thought he might die.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yue cast Zuko a curious look, "Yeah, but are you okay?" She asked, touching her own face. "You look a bit- </span>
  <em>
    <span>red</span>
  </em>
  <span>."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's…. My allergies." Lied Zuko, taking his notepad and pen out of his apron.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suki and Yue exchanged a skeptical look but didn't say anything more about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, we're ready to order." Suki put her menu back in the little stand where there were two others. "Could I have the green rose tea?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And could I have the strawberry black tea?" Asked Yue, "Oh, and we'd both like some chocolate chip scones, too please."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he was writing down their orders Zuko asked, "Is that all?" When they both confirmed that that was all they were going to order, Zuko clicked his pen. "Okay, I'll have your tea out soon. The scones shouldn't be more than half an hour."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Zuko left their table to give his uncle their tea order. He went into the back of the shop where they made the scones to get baking as quickly as he could. He grabbed the pre-made scone dough and a bag of chocolate chips and then got to work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All the while Zuko made the scones, he had the words of his uncle turning over in his mind. How he should have a boyfriend and if Sokka could have two girlfriends he could also have a boyfriend as well… It all seemed silly to him, and even sillier that he was starting to agree with it by the time the scones were in the oven. That he was starting to </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Zuko washed his hands in the sink, he tried to counter every hopeful thought in his head with a negative one. That </span>
  <em>
    <span>just </span>
  </em>
  <span>because Sokka was bisexual and polyamorous </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn't </span>
  </em>
  <span>mean that he would want to date Zuko. He might not even like him or he might be satisfied with just Yue and Suki as his partners. That </span>
  <em>
    <span>just </span>
  </em>
  <span>because Zuko wanted a boyfriend didn't mean he was going to get one, or that other people would want to be his boyfriend. That </span>
  <em>
    <span>just </span>
  </em>
  <span>because Sokka asked for his number for work related reasons didn't mean that there was an ulterior motive behind it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko was lost in his own mind so long that he didn't even realize that he had been washing his hands for nearly five minutes until he looked down and saw that his hands were beet red from the hot water. He hissed and quickly turned the tap off before drying his hands on a nearby dish towel. He couldn't believe himself. He met </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> nice, pretty, funny guy and his heart had to go and get a crush. It would've been funny had it not been him who was crushing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though the scones weren't done and wouldn't be for a while, Zuko didn't want to go back out to the main part of the tea shop. He thought if he did he would just get embarrassed. He checked the time on the scones and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. And for the rest of the time the scones were cooking, he mindlessly opened and closed apps on his phone without doing much on them just to distract himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then when the scones were finally done, Zuko pulled them out of the oven and stacked all six of them on a floral patterned plate. He grabbed two smaller plates along with the plate of scones and took them out to Suki and Yue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh great!" Suki sat up in her seat when Zuko came out. "I'm starving."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko set the plate of scones in between the girls then placed one of the small, white plates in front of both of them. "They're hot, so just be careful."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," Smiled Yue. "Ugh, these smell so good!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko nodded, "Well, um, enjoy." He then left to go stand by his uncle. "Please don't talk about Sokka." He said quietly. "Or me not having a boyfriend."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iroh looked affronted, "I wouldn't dream of it," He shook his head. "Those girls are awfully nice though, you should consider being friends with them."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah well, only if they want to be friends with me." Crossing his arms over his chest, Zuko hesitated. "Though when they leave, could I take a break for a while? I'm suddenly not feeling good." He lied, the truth being that he just didn't want to feel embarrassed and awkward for a while.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After giving Zuko a careful look, Iroh nodded. "If you're unwell, take all the time you need. And if it helps, tell your old uncle when he's butting too much into things if he's causing any uncomfortable feelings."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko could only nod.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A short while before Yue and Suki had finished their tea and scones, Zuko brought them their receipt. "So…" He found himself speaking without even knowing what was coming out of his mouth. "Where's Sokka today then?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A grin pulled at Yue's lips as she brought her tea cup to her lips, "I think he's out with his sister and their friend Aang today. They were going swimming. Do you remember where, Suki?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suki, who was pulling her wallet out of her back pocket nodded. "Yeah, they were going up to Kyoshi Lake."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, yeah," Yue nodded. She put her cup down and looked up at Zuko. "Kyoshi Lake, have you ever been there, Zuko? It's beautiful."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko bit his lip and thought for a moment as a half forgotten memory came to mind. "No- well, yes. My mom took me there once, I think, when I was very little."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suki pulled a twenty dollar bill from her wallet and put it on top of the check Zuko had brought them, "You ought to go back sometime. It's fun." She began turning her wallet over in her hands, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Sokka </span>
  </em>
  <span>goes up there a lot."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Does he?" Asked Zuko slowly. "Maybe.. Maybe I'll go there then." He took Suki's money. "But right now, I can get your change."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a shake of her head, Suki put her wallet back in her pocket. "You can keep the rest." She grabbed the remaining scone off the middle plate and took a bite.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Feeling awkward, Zuko folded the money in his hands. "Oh, um, thanks."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No problem," Said Suki after swallowing what was in her mouth. "You ready to go get our nails done?" She asked Yue, standing up with her scone in hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yue smiled, "Yep!" Then she quickly drained the rest of her tea and stood up too. "Thanks for serving us, Zuko, we hope you have a good day."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, thanks." Replied Suki.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's no problem," Shrugged Zuko, "Thanks for coming in, have fun getting your nails done."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both girls smiled at that as they turned towards the door. "Thanks!" Yue nodded, "You should come with us next time if you don't have to work."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"R-Really?" Sputtered Zuko, feeling his face heat up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, yeah!" Suki looked at Zuko like he was playing dumb as she opened the door for Yue. "We could even invite Sokka too but then this shop might be out of servers. Well, we'll be seeing you, Zuko." With a smile, Suki gave Zuko a quick wave and stepped outside behind Yue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dumbly, Zuko stood there and watched them. He waved as they walked past the window and down the street. Once they were out of sight, he hurried to the register and put their whole twenty dollars in without taking his tip and the ten dollar tip he had received earlier. While he was putting the money in the register, his uncle came out from the back of the store.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They were rather nice, it's not too often that you get girls their age who appreciate tea."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko looked up and nodded. He wanted to tell his uncle that they had invited him out with them to go get his nails done sometime, but then he also didn't really want to. He wanted to keep what they said a secret to himself. Instead of saying anything of importance, he simply said, "Yeah. Mind if I take that break now?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course, I'll hold down the fort." Smiled Iroh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, Uncle."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Zuko closed up the register and went upstairs as quickly as he could without seeming conspicuous. With his heart racing in his chest from excitement, he went to his room and fell on to his bed. And even though Zuko was still without the faintest idea of what he was going to text Sokka, he couldn't find himself concerned with it. Because for the first time in a long time, there were people who wanted to be his friends and he was happy about it.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I couldn't just NOT include Yue and Suki here! I hope you all like this chapter, I struggled for a while writing it but I don't think it turned out too bad!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Over the next few weeks of working with Sokka, one thing was beginning to make Zuko feel horrible. The thing was that Zuko still hadn't managed to send Sokka a single text, not even a boring one like </span>
  <em>
    <span>hey </span>
  </em>
  <span>or </span>
  <em>
    <span>hi. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Just… Nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko felt bad about not texting Sokka because he </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>did want to text him, but despite that he just didn't. Every time he picked up his phone with the intention to text him, he ended up staring at his screen for the better part of twenty minutes before putting it away and not saying anything. He felt bad because despite not texting him, Sokka never brought the subject up. Zuko felt bad because he thought that Sokka should be mad at him for never texting, but he wasn't, he was nice to Zuko all the time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And despite Zuko's guilt over not texting Sokka, that didn't stop him from becoming his friend in the three weeks they worked together. It may have made him a bit more awkward in the beginning, but not much more awkward than he usually would've been in socializing with and becoming comfortable with a new person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the days when Sokka worked, he and Zuko would often talk in the slow times of the day when the shop was empty of any customers. They would even talk long past closing with them both lingering by the door, neither of them wanting to be the one to admit that it was getting late. Thankfully, Zuko's uncle always made himself scarce during these times so Zuko wouldn't get embarrassed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But even though Zuko talked to Sokka a considerable amount at work, it wasn't enough. Every day that Sokka was set to work, Zuko woke up excited to see him and every night Sokka left Zuko was sad to see him go. It just wasn't enough. Zuko wanted to see Sokka more, to talk to him more. But to do that he would have to text him, and Zuko knew that that would be a very difficult thing to do. So difficult in fact that Zuko just debated on whether or not he should just pine after Sokka for the rest of his life. It would be much easier, but it wouldn't make him any happier…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, after a bit of careful consideration that took place in Zuko's head, late at night while he was having trouble falling asleep, he decided that he </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span> text Sokka, and that he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wouldn't</span>
  </em>
  <span> back out of it. Since they were both working the next day, Zuko decided to text Sokka then. He figured it would be easier to play off his text if it came off stupid that way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But once the next day rolled around… Zuko was having a hard time sticking to his plan. They were busier than normal at the shop that day to begin with, which left him very little time to even talk to Sokka, let alone pull out his phone and text him. Not to mention that whenever they did get to talk, Zuko found himself stumbling over his own words more than actually talking. In his mind he sounded like a third grader trying to sound out a very difficult word in a book he hadn't read before. Sokka seemed to pick up on his awkwardness by the looks he gave him, but didn't say much about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All throughout the day they were either just too busy or Zuko was just too tongue tied to talk to Sokka properly. That was until the end of the day when the shop was closed. They both were tired. Sokka had stopped cracking jokes hours ago and looked more than ready to go home, but still he kept their daily tradition of awkwardness of talking by the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So… Is there something you want to tell me?" Sokka asked slowly once their conversation lulled. "You've been acting kind of weird all day."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Freezing, Zuko realized that that was his chance to finally text Sokka. "Yeah, well…" He put his hand over his pocket with his phone, his heart beating a hundred miles per hour in his chest. He wondered if someone had ever had a heart attack just from talking to someone they were into, he thought he might be the first person to do that. "I mean, it's not really </span>
  <em>
    <span>telling </span>
  </em>
  <span>as much as it is… um…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Zuko took in a deep breath and looked at Sokka as he pulled out his phone. "It's more-" He saw how Sokka looked at his phone curiously and immediately felt bad again for not texting him sooner. Zuko looked away from Sokka and then to his phone screen, he pulled up his texting app and began a message to Sokka, that unlike all of the hundreds of other messages, he planned to actually finish and send.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then as quickly as he could, Zuko sent Sokka a message. A message that asked a question that he desperately wanted to know.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>will you go out with me?</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko looked up to see Sokka looking at him confusedly and heard his phone go off in his pocket. Slowly Sokka's confusion melted and he reached for his phone. Zuko almost couldn't watch as Sokka pulled out his phone and read the text. But when he saw Sokka's face split into grin he knew all of his worrying was for nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eagerly, Zuko watched as Sokka typed out his own reply. Then his phone buzzed in his hand with a new message, his heart jumped when he saw it.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>yes! totally!!!!</em>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>"Really?" Zuko asked excitedly, looking up from his phone. "You'll go out with me?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a roll of his eyes, Sokka nodded and took a step closer to Zuko. "Yes! Did my text not have enough exclamation points?" He laughed, reaching out to put his hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Okay, Zuko… Now, I have a question for you. Don't be mad that it's not through text."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko cast his eyes over Sokka's hand on his shoulder and nodded slowly. "What is it?" He asked, feeling rather warm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can I kiss you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though Zuko didn't know what Sokka's question would be, he never thought it would be that. Carefully, he looked back down at his phone and sent Sokka another text.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Yes.</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a quick glance at his phone, Sokka leaned in and kissed Zuko's forehead. Though the placement of the kiss wasn't where he expected it to be, he was not going to complain about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka pulled away, smiling happily, "How about if our date goes well I give you a better kiss?" He asked, taking his hand off Zuko's shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unable to help it, Zuko grinned, "You got it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay," Sokka reached for the front door and opened it, giving Zuko a mock salute with his phone. "Don't put off texting me this time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko laughed so suddenly that he snorted and he immediately covered his mouth, "I won't," He said, lowering his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laughing, Sokka left the shop and waved to Zuko as he walked out of sight. Zuko waved back to him and sighed softly as he left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And in a second, Zuko's uncle had appeared and was pressing his face to the window to look at Sokka's retreating figure. "Zuko, you've got a date!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Had Zuko not just been kissed by Sokka with plans for them to go on a date together, he would've been fuming. But, just like his Uncle Iroh, he was happy. "Yeah… Yeah, I do." He put his phone back into his pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iroh turned around and looked at Zuko for a long moment before bursting into tears and running up to hug him tightly. "Oh, you kids grow up so fast! It feels just like yesterday when you were so little…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the sudden hug, Zuko stumbled back, but wrapped his arms around his uncle to return his hug. "Uncle Iroh… Just a few weeks ago you were telling me to get a boyfriend? If you didn't want me to get one-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No! I do, Zuko, I want you to have a boyfriend." Iroh said quickly. "I want you to be happy and to have friends too. I just know that when kids start getting partners it means that they're beginning to grow up… Oh, soon you'll be moving out and getting married-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blushing, Zuko gently removed Iroh from him. "Uncle- that is seriously, a long ways away. You don't have anything to worry about, okay?" He smiled softly, "It's just a date."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A date with a boy you like."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iroh smiled, "I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope you two have fun." He said, wiping his eyes on his wrist.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This took me longer than the other chapters to write, I'm sorry! Sorry it's short too. The story is almost done!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Zuko and Sokka began texting the very night Zuko asked him out. Unsurprisingly, they texted until an unholy hour of the night. But in those hours spent texting, a lot was figured out and even much more was shared between the two.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One of the first things they did while texting was plan their date. Sokka suggested Kyoshi Lake and Zuko, without his own date idea, and having been wanting to go to the lake again ever since he talked to Yue and Suki about it, quickly seconded the idea. Then in a mess of the two checking their calendars they agreed that their date should be that Saturday, three days away from then. They planned it earlier in the afternoon so that they might get to the lake when it was less crowded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And in that night of texting Sokka, Zuko couldn't fathom why he was so worried to text him in the first place. He also wished that he would have manned up and texted him sooner, but in all fairness he was just happy to be texting Sokka then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Zuko could absolutely not wait for his and Sokka's date. It seemed like it was all that he could think about since Sokka agreed to go out with him. He was more excited than anything to go on his first date with a guy and Zuko was just so glad that that guy was Sokka.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the day of their date finally rolled around, Zuko couldn't think of anyone that was more excited than him. That was at least, anyone besides his Uncle Iroh. When Zuko first told his uncle when and where he and Sokka had planned their date, one of the first things out of his uncle's mouth beside his congratulations to Zuko was if he needed new swim trunks for it. Then the night before the date, Iroh had insisted that Zuko pack a bag of all of the things he would need then so he might not forget them the next day. Things that Iroh more or less forced Zuko to pack were sunscreen, a towel, sunglasses, water, his anxiety medication that he hardly even used, and a fresh pair of clothes to change into. And then on the day of the date, Iroh went through the bag many times to make sure that nothing was left out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko's Uncle Iroh was beginning to remind him of the mothers of brides on the weird wedding shows he used to watch when he was little and nothing else interesting was on TV. 0And though his uncle's actions were a little more than annoying, Zuko knew that his uncle was coming from a good place. His uncle just wanted him to have a good date and Zuko could never be mad at him for that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But when Sokka pulled up to the tea shop in a battered, blue jeep and honked the horn to let Zuko know he was there to pick him up, Iroh swiftly put a fifty dollar bill into his nephew's hand and began to shove him out the door. "Now don't leave your date waiting!" He said, smiling. "Go have fun, Zuko!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko quickly shouldered the bag his uncle had him pack, "Uncle, I can't take this- I have money-." He said, while being pushed out the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nonsense, it never hurts to have a little money on a date. Who knows what might happen?" With a roll of his eyes, Iroh stopped pushing Zuko once they got to the door and turned him around to give him a hug. "I'll leave the light on for you, call me if you think you'll be out later than ten." Iroh pulled away from the hug and looked at Zuko for a moment, "I love you, Zuko."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I love you too, Uncle." Zuko said, smiling. He put his hand on the door, "Thank you." Then he opened the door, and stepped outside while waving to his uncle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iroh waved back at him as Zuko walked up to Sokka's car. Before he could open the door, Sokka leaned across the center console to open the door for him. "Hi," Sokka smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hi," Zuko said breathlessly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Zuko got in, Sokka waved to Iroh. "I promise to have him back at a reasonable hour, Mr. Iroh!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko's smile only grew at that. "My uncle loves you." He said, shutting the door and dropping his bag on the ground. "We could be gone a week but he wouldn't care." He buckled his seat belt and pulled his phone out of his pocket to stash the money his uncle gave him in the case.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Really?" Asked Sokka, pulling into the street. "I don't- have a good reputation of parents liking me. So to know that your uncle likes me is a total boost."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You mean that Suki and Yue's parents don't like you?" Zuko ran his fingers down the warm seat belt, looking at Sokka. "Why?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laughing nervously, Sokka cast Zuko a quick look before looking back at the road. </span>
  <em>
    <span>"Well, </span>
  </em>
  <span>when I first started dating Suki, she went to this fancy, private school just for girls. She snuck me in a few times by stealing me a girls uniform. The teachers didn't appreciate finding me there." He tapped on the wheel, flashing Zuko a smile. "Since she doesn't have parents and only went to school there on a scholarship, they threatened to kick her out if she snuck me in again. Easy to say, her teachers don't like me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, wow." Zuko said quietly. "What about Yue?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sighing, Sokka shook his head, "Long story short, her dad hoped she'd get with this other guy. The son of one of their neighbors and all that." He shrugged. "So knowing that your uncle actually likes me is an improvement."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking away from Sokka, Zuko smiled softly. "Well… he isn't the only one who likes you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Really?" Asked Sokka, turning off the road into a small convenience store's parking lot. "Who else is-" He grinned when he finally understood what Zuko was saying. "I like you too, Zuko… Even more than I like your uncle."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko laughed, covering his mouth as he did so. "That's good to know… What are we doing here?" He asked, looking around as Sokka parked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh-" Sokka gently slapped the side of his head, "Sorry, I forgot to ask you. Usually when we go to Kyoshi Lake, we stop here to get snacks to bring with us." He turned off the engine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, that's a good idea. You're good at planning ahead, Sokka." Said Zuko, unbuckling his seat belt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A blush darkened Sokka's face, "Thanks, I wouldn't want our first date to be shitty." When he saw Zuko reaching for the door handle, he quickly unbuckled. "Wait!" He said, opening his door before jumping out of the car. Then he ran around the front of the car and opened Zuko's door. "Here you are m'lad- I mean- m'main man." Holding out his hand for Zuko, Sokka looked the other way. "Sorry, I haven't been on a date with a guy in- well ever. You're the first guy I've gone out with."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko tried not to laugh as he grabbed Sokka's hand and stepped out of the car. "It's fine." He took a second too long to let go of Sokka's hand, but neither of them minded. "Are you more into girls then?" He asked as he shut the car door behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shrugging, Sokka turned towards the store, "More or less. But a lot of guys aren't into the whole- </span>
  <em>
    <span>poly </span>
  </em>
  <span>thing."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Following Sokka into the store, Zuko wrinkled his nose. "Well that's stupid. They're- well they missed out."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka smiled, "Well if they hadn't of been stupid then maybe I wouldn't be going on this date with you." He said, gently brushing their hands together. He looked around the store, "How about we split up to get out snacks then meet back at the check out in a few minutes?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, sure," Nodded Zuko. Then after a lingering moment of the two staring at each other, they split up and traveled down separate aisles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko quickly found his favourite snacks, a small bag of hot Cheetos and a full sized container of chocolate chip cookies. He then traveled over to the refrigerated section of the store where he grabbed a red Gatorade. Happy with his snack choices, he walked back to the front of the store where Sokka said for them to meet. He waited there for a moment before Sokka joined him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You ready?" Asked Sokka as they both walked up to the only register in the store, which was luckily free of any other customers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Said Zuko as Sokka put his food, a pack of Starbursts, some jerky, and a Mountain Dew, on the counter. "I'll pay." He put his own food up there with Sokka's and grabbed his phone out of his pocket to retrieve the money his uncle gave him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?" Asked Sokka, who patted down his pockets until he found his wallet. "No, don't worry. I got this."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, really," Zuko showed him the money. "I asked you out and you're the one driving, so it only makes sense that I pay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hesitating, Sokka asked, "You sure? I really don't mind paying."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nodding, Zuko handed his money to the bored looking cashier who had already begun to check them out as they debated on who would pay. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he put his wallet away, Sokka rolled his eyes. "Fine, but I'm definitely buying whatever thing we need next."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko gently elbowed Sokka as the cashier handed him his change, "If it'll make you feel better, then okay." He reached for the bags with their snacks but Sokka beat him to it by grabbing both of the bags with one hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But I'm carrying the bags," Nodding Sokka. "You may have paid for them, but I'll tote the snacks to the car."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The car is literally less than five yards away." As he put his phone and his change in his pocket, Zuko stepped over to Sokka and grabbed his free hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smiling, Sokka squeezed Zuko's hand as they stepped out of the store. "Yeah, but I'm carrying the bags. That's all that matters."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko gave Sokka a curious look, "Is there something more to carrying the bags then I think there is?" He asked, letting go of Sokka's hand once they got to his car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a shake of his head, Sokka handed Zuko the bag with his snacks. "No- well, not really. My dad is just one of those old fashioned type guys I guess? He taught me to carry my dates' coat, open their door… Y'know, that kind of stuff."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah-" Even though he still didn't completely get it, Zuko grabbed his bag and got into the car. He took his drink out of the bag and cracked opened the lid as Sokka hopped into the driver's seat. He took a quick drink before putting on his seatbelt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, Sokka took his drink out of his bag and put it in one of the center cup holders. He then uncaringly threw the rest of his bag into the back seat of the car before buckling his seat belt. "Let's get to the lake then!" He said, smiling at Zuko. He started the car.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's do it," Zuko smiled back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The drive to Kyoshi Lake from there wasn't very long, maybe under an hour. But that time seemed to pass by fast with how much Zuko and Sokka talked on the ride there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For Zuko, even just sitting in the car with Sokka as they drove was the best thing in the world. It was so much different than sitting in the tea shop and talking and he loved it entirely. He just felt- so happy to be on a date with a guy that he really liked. His heart beat embarrassingly fast in his chest and it only sped up when Sokka laughed or cracked a joke, but unlike before he and Sokka started seriously talking, Zuko didn't mind. Because before, Zuko didn't know if Sokka liked him, and then, Zuko knew that Sokka did. And knowing whether someone liked you or not made all the difference in the world to if you were embarrassed or not about how you felt towards them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they arrived the the dirt parking lot of Kyoshi Lake, they piled their leftover snacks into Zuko's bag and stepped out of the car. When Sokka stepped around the car empty handed, Zuko asked, "Where's your swimsuit?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka gave Zuko a confused look before proudly gesturing to his shorts. "I'm wearing it. These are my swim trunks. It's so much easier just to wear your suit to where you're going." He shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh, well, I just brought mine. Is there a place I can change?" Zuko ran his hand down his bags strap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nodding, Sokka went over to Zuko. "Of course, man. I'll show you the way," He then gestured for Zuko to follow him. "Come on."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Sokka led Zuko to the changing buildings a little ways away from the parking lot. Zuko grabbed his swimming shorts out of his bag and changed while Sokka watched the bag. When he came out a few minutes later, he held out his hand for the bag. "Thanks for holding it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of giving Zuko back his bag, however, Sokka grabbed Zuko's hand. "No problem, it's not too heavy anyways. Come on, let's get down to the shore. There's this one spot that my friend Aang found the last time we were here, it's </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect</span>
  </em>
  <span>." He smiled, gently pulling on Zuko's hand, leading him away from the changing buildings and down the path to the lake. "I don't think many other people know about it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A blush flooded Zuko's face when Sokka took his hand, but he didn't complain. "Do you come here a lot?" He asked, following beside Sokka. The path was small, but they somehow managed to walk on it together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hitching up Zuko's bag on his shoulder, Sokka nodded. "Yeah, my sister and I </span>
  <em>
    <span>love </span>
  </em>
  <span>to swim. Yue says that's because we're both Pisces, but I dunno about that. Nearly everyone on our rez likes to swim." As they walked together, Sokka slowly swung their joined hands. "Mostly because our gran-gran says that our tribe was originally located close to the ocean, so swimming is in our blood." He hesitated then looked over at Zuko, smiling nervously, "Sorry- what were we talking about?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blinking, Zuko absentmindedly squeezed Sokka's hand. "I think swimming here? But it's good that you can swim well, I'm not the best swimmer."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The nervousness in Sokka's smile quickly disappeared. "I won't let you drown then. That would be a horrible first date."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smiling confusedly, Zuko laughed. "Thank you for not letting me drown then?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I won't let any cute person drown on my watch," Said Sokka jokingly. The trail they were on was beginning to fade and fork off into many more well walked trails. "Okay," he looked at Zuko, slowing his steps. "This place is kinda off the beaten path but it's great. Just watch your step and look out for brambles."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko hummed in agreement and let go of Sokka's hand so that he wouldn't get in his way of leading them through the woods. Then Sokka gave him a quick smile before starting back up again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They didn't really talk much as they walked through the woods, which didn't bother Zuko. It wasn't that enjoyable to talk to a person's back anyways. So Zuko just stared at his feet as he walked, carefully watching his step, and occasionally looking up to make sure he was still following Sokka. After a while though, Zuko found himself accidentally walking into Sokka's back and stumbling backwards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quickly, Sokka spun around, "Careful!" He gasped, grabbing Zuko by the waist and keeping him from falling. He slowly helped Zuko to his feet, "You okay?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Great-" Said Zuko, letting himself be pulled up by Sokka. For a moment they just stood there, embarrassedly staring at one another with Zuko still in Sokka's arms. "Uh- are we there?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?" Sokka asked slowly, "Oh-" He quickly let go of Zuko and nodded. "Yeah, we're here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though he was somewhat disappointed at Sokka letting go of him, Zuko was still curious to see what this hidden part of the lake would be like. He peeked over Sokka's shoulder to see a small, rocky beach that opened to the dark lake. It was quiet and preserved almost, it felt like no one had been there before. He and Sokka were all alone there and just knowing that made Zuko oddly happy. "It's pretty."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grabbing Zuko's hand and pulling him on to the beach, Sokka grinned. "I know, right? It's the perfect place to go when you just want to get away." He took in a deep breath, gently dropping Zuko's bag on the ground. "I love it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though Zuko wasn't much of a nature person, he knew he would like the place too, especially if he was with Sokka. He let go of his hand to go over to his bag and pull out his sunglasses and sunscreen. Beside him, Sokka stripped off his shirt and Zuko did everything he could not to look at his bare chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he threw his shirt to the ground, Sokka asked. "What're the sunglasses for?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko looked up at Sokka, which meant that he looked at his chest. "Um," He quickly looked away as he stood up. "Though I'm mostly blind in this eye," He touched the scarred skin around his eye. "It's still really sensitive. Too much sun makes it hurt."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking uneasy at having asked his question, Sokka scratched the back of his neck, "Oh- sorry."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's okay." Zuko said. Then it clicked that Sokka felt bad. "Don't um, don't sweat it." He gave Sokka a small smile before pulling off his own shirt. "Do you want some sunscreen?" He dropped his shirt on top of his bag and held out the bottle to Sokka.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a shake of his head, Sokka crossed his arms over his chest. "Nah, I'm working on my tan."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blinking confusedly, Zuko put on his sunglasses. "But you're already-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka grinned, "It was a joke, Zuko."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then it was Zuko's turn to feel uncomfortable. "Oh- so… do you want some sunscreen?" He asked unsurely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No," Zuko sat down on the rocky shore. "But I'll wait for you to put some on if you want to."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You sure?" Zuko popped the lid of the sunscreen bottle and squeezed some into his hand. "You don't want to swim?" He looked out to the water, sitting down beside Sokka.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It'll be more fun swimming with you," Sokka gently nudged Zuko's arm. "Unless you want me to go?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No-" Zuko said too quickly. "No… You can stay here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then I'll stay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unable to help it, Zuko smiled as he put on his sunscreen. After he put it on, he and Sokka went to the lake, with Sokka jumping right in. Zuko went to follow him but as soon as his foot hit the water, he jumped back. "Shit!" He hissed. "That's freezing!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's hardly cold!" Shouted Sokka from farther out. Where he was standing, the water was only up to his waist, meaning that the water got deep quick. "This is actually pretty warm for Kyoshi Lake." He shrugged, trying to coax Zuko to come into the water. "If you get your head wet then you'll be fine."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What I'll be is sick with pneumonia," Mumbled Zuko as he stepped into the water. The cold water sent a chill down his spine and goosebumps up his legs. By the time he reached Sokka he was absolutely freezing. "You're saying I have to get my head wet just so I won't be cold? That sounds like it's just going to make me more cold!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rolling his eyes, Sokka put his hand on the small of Zuko's back. "It works. Really, when was the last time you went swimming, man?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite how cold Zuko felt, Sokka's touch made his skin feel warmer. "A few years ago? But that was the beach and the water was warm."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Okay, what if I dunk my head and prove to you that it works?" Sokka raised his brows and reached up to undo his bun. "If I do that will you do it too?" His dark hair fell around his face and he put the hair tie that he had been using on his wrist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Only if you hold my sunglasses when I do it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka brushed the hair out of his face, "Fine, I'll hold your sunglasses." Then without warning, he flung himself back in the water, causing a wave of ice cold water to hit Zuko before he could react. When Sokka popped back up, his hair dripping wet and sticking to his cheeks. "There! Now I'm not cold at all."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're also an ass," Hissed Zuko. Had it been anyone else who had splashed him and he might've been ready to drown them, but considering it was Sokka… he let it slide. Goosebumps completely covered his arms and made his skin feel gross. "How about a warning next time?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sorry." Sokka said, not looking sorry at all. "But, it worked didn't it? I'm not cold."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You weren't cold in the first place." Rolling his eyes, Zuko took off his sunglasses and carefully handed them to Sokka so that they wouldn't get wet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I guess I'm just too hot for that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko snorted but then quickly covered his mouth, "No, I'm cold, that wasn't funny." He lied. "You're not funny when I'm cold."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grinning, Sokka moved closer to Zuko in the water. "But you're not cold."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you mean </span>
  <em>
    <span>I'm not cold?"</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sputtered Zuko, "</span>
  <em>
    <span>I'm freez-"</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're pretty hot."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a moment, Zuko just looked at Sokka, torn on whether to kiss him or dunk him in the water. He ended up doing neither of those things though, "Okay, I'm going to get my head wet." He sighed, looking away from Sokka. Then he slowly lowered himself down into the water until his head was submerged. Every second until his head was fully wet was complete hell, but as soon as he had his head underwater a considerable amount of his coldness went away. Not to say that Zuko still wasn't cold, but at least his new level of coldness was more bearable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Zuko emerged from the water, he was still covered in goosebumps and his hair was in his face. He pushed his dropping hair out of his eyes and grabbed his sunglasses from Sokka.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How do you feel?" Asked Sokka, smugly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Still cold, but better." Mumbled Zuko, putting his glasses back on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I guess that's as close as we're gonna get."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And with Zuko not completely freezing from the temperature of the water, the two swam for a bit. Or mostly, Zuko floated since he wasn't a very good swimmer and Sokka swam around him while they both talked. But because Zuko wasn't that good at swimming and was still pretty sensitive to the coldness of the lake, they didn't swim long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Zuko felt bad at it at first, worried that he had ruined their date, Sokka didn't seem to mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm with you and I'm having fun, Zuko," Sokka said honestly as Zuko toweled off on the shore. "I wanted to go on a date with </span>
  <em>
    <span>you, </span>
  </em>
  <span>not the lake."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smiling softly, Zuko looked away from Sokka. "You sure? You could still swim, I don't mind sitting here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka moved next to Zuko and grabbed his hand, "Nah, I'd feel bad leaving you here by yourself. Plus we can still have our date right here. It's quiet and no one comes to this place, we can still sit here and talk. And we have our snacks to eat too, perfect date."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko looked from their joined hands to Sokka's face and his smile grew, "I'd like that." He let go of Sokka's hand to put his towel on the ground, then he sat down on it, leaving room for Sokka to sit beside him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Returning Zuko's smile, Sokka sat next to him. The towel was a cramped fit, hardly big enough for them to both be sitting there. Everything was touching, their shoulders, their arms, their legs, but neither of them seemed to mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka reached into Zukko's bag beside him and pulled out Zuko's shirt. "You still cold?" He asked, handing him his shirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A little," Zuko took his shirt and awkwardly put it on. It stuck to his still wet skin, but in it he felt warmer than he did while not wearing a shirt. He took off his sunglasses and put them beside him, "Thanks."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Then Sokka looked the other way for a moment before slowly wrapping his arm around Zuko's shoulders. "Does- that help too?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leaning into Sokka, Zuko nodded softly. "Yeah… You're pretty warm."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Happy to help, it'd be a shit date if you were cold the whole time." Sokka grabbed Zuko's bag and pulled it in front of them so they could both reach their snacks, but that was almost pointless since he handed Zuko his food.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," Smiled Zuko, opening his thing of cookies and grabbing one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka only hummed in reply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a while, the boys just sat there, holding each other and enjoying their own separate snacks. It really was quiet there in that secluded piece of lake. Birds chirped around them and soon the colour of the sky began to change from pale blue to blooming orange as the sun started to set against the lake. It's bright light made the water look like it was burning with silent flames.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was beautiful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko couldn't have asked for a better first date with Sokka, and with how things had gone, he had no reason not to assume that there was a second date in store for them. He was hardly even cold anymore, but he would pretend to be cold just to keep having Sokka hold him. "It's… been so long since I've been on a date." Zuko said slowly, looking up at Sokka. "I came out three years ago yet you're the first guy I've ever gone out with, it's really nice."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sitting up some, Sokka smiled. "It's nice getting to go on a date with you, Zuko. I'd love to go on another one with you too."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brushing his still-drying hair out of his face, Zuko returned Sokka's smile. "I'd really like that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Then I </span>
  <em>
    <span>promise</span>
  </em>
  <span> our next date won't be a swimming one," Sokka joked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The joke was hardly funny, it really wasn't funny at all, but it made Zuko laugh. He let his forehead fall onto Sokka's shoulder as he tried to stop laughing, but he was just so happy that it was hard to stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You have the prettiest laugh," Sokka whispered. It worked in an instant in stopping Zuko's laughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko looked up at Sokka, his face feeling warm. "Yeah?" He whispered back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Reaching up to cup Zuko's cheek, Sokka nodded. "Yeah." And then he leaned in and kissed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as their lips met, Zuko felt his heart flutter to a stop in his chest. But that was alright with him, his heart could stop for as long as it wanted, he could even die right then and there and Zuko wouldn't have cared. Because kissing Sokka was the best thing in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was at that moment that Zuko had his first kiss with a boy, and in his heart he knew that he wanted to have his last kiss and every other kiss in between with that exact same boy. Because Zuko was in love with Sokka and nothing would change that.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Dang did this take forever to finish! This was so hard to complete but I'm really happy at how it turned out!!!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Don't know where this idea came from but I like it! I hope everyone is in character considering this is my first time writing a fic for Avatar. It's embarrassing to say, but I only got to watch it recently because of it's release on Netflix!</p><p>This probably isn't going to be more than four chapters!</p><p>Comments are very much appreciated!!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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